Ocean Navigator - Ocean Navigator

20 Apr

Safety means being prepared for anything

Ocean NavigatorHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyager, Offshore Safety

Stephen and Dawn Bell enjoy the cruising life aboard their Leopard 48 Catamaran Pilar, having cruised down the East Coast and into the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. The Bells emphasize the critical importance of always putting safety first while planning and undertaking ocean voyages. They prioritize safety not only in their manner of coastal and offshore sailing, but also in the emergency gear they select for use in a crisis. Both Stephen and Dawn have received some formal medical training, so when someone gets hurt, they can dress wounds, splint broken bones, administer appropriate medications and make contact with emergency…

20 Mar

North offers new sustainable sails

Ocean NavigatorCrew's Picks

We see a boat over on its beam ends in a blow and say “they’re over canvased.” But, of course, sails are no longer made of cotton-based canvas. They’re woven from synthetic materials derived from petroleum. Now North Sails has announced a new sail fabric called RENEW that’s almost entirely made from recycled materials. And in Europe, Danish sailmaker Elvstrom offers a sail it calls EKKO also made from recycled plastic. For cruisers who wish to reduce their overall voyaging footprint, new sailcloth products like these can be an attractive choice. READ MORE >>

07 Feb

Icom’s New Black Box VHF Solutions at the Miami International Boat Show

Ocean NavigatorCommunications

The world’s largest boat and yacht show is back! Discover everything from kayaks to superyachts to the latest aquatic innovations at the Miami International Boat Show, February 14–18, 2024. Show events and attractions will be located on land at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Pride Park and on the water at Venetian Marina, Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina, and Yacht Haven Grande Miami. Attendees can check out Icom’s newest black box VHF radios, the IC-M510BB and IC-M410BB, as well as catch a sneak peek of an exciting upcoming VHF release! Find us and our entire lineup on display at…

03 Nov

Worth Avenue Yachts

Ocean NavigatorBrokerage Ad

The Yachting Lifestyle: Redifined Worth Avenue Yachts world-class yacht brokerage firm specializes in luxury yachts for sale, yacht charter, and new yacht construction, providing a complete and personalized yachting experience. www.worthavenueyachts.com

23 Aug

Worth Avenue Yachts

Ocean NavigatorBrokerage Ad

The Yachting Lifestyle: Redifined Worth Avenue Yachts world-class yacht brokerage firm specializes in luxury yachts for sale, yacht charter, and new yacht construction, providing a complete and personalized yachting experience. www.worthavenueyachts.com

25 May

You Can Never Be Too Prepared

Ocean NavigatorTranspac 2023ocean racing, offshore racing, offshore sailing, Transpac 2023

The Transpacific Yacht Club takes preparation and safety seriously, and held a Pre-Race Seminar on November 9th to provide attendees with some valuable insights from a panel of experts on how to be ready for this race of a lifetime. There is a video available now on YouTube that can help those unable to attend to tune in on the information presented, as well as act as a reference resource for those that did attend to remind them of the material.

19 May

Nordhavn rendezvous breaks attendance record

Ocean NavigatorIndustry & Company News, Press release

Dana Point, Calif. – The largest Nordhavn Owners Rendezvous (NOR) ever got underway May 10 at Victoria International Marina on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A record setting number of Nordhavns and Nordhavn owners gathered for five days of education, camaraderie, food and fun; for many, the rendezvous served as a kick-off to cruising up to Alaska and the northwest Canadian Territories. With 48 Nordhavns packed into the marina, it marked the most Nordhavn yachts ever gathered in the same place, although not all who attended came by boat. In total were owners of 67 Nordhavns representing 16 different models, who…

14 Apr

Atmospheric ridges and troughs

Ocean NavigatorWeather

The formation of ridges and troughs in the atmosphere has important effects on weather at sea. Here is a look at ridge and trough structures and how they can influence surface low pressure zones and precipitation. Distinctive cloud shapes form in the vicinity of the jet stream and are dependent on the extent of both horizontal and vertical mixing of warm, moist air and cold, dry air. The amplitude and width of ridges and troughs directly influence cloud shape and also indicate surface weather feature development. High-amplitude troughs tend to pull large amounts of cold, dry air south into regions…

30 Nov

Seamanship & Navigation, November 2021

Ocean NavigatorNewsletter, Seamanship & Navigation

Stories of repairs at sea always make for fascinating reading. Not the fairly routine substitution of a spare part but rather a failure so horrendous that great ingenuity was called for to get the ship to port. You can learn a lot from these episodes; many yachts have made it safely back to land with jury-rigged masts, usually broken offshore in heavy weather. Miles and Beryl Smeeton lost their masts twice during an attempt to round Cape Horn from the Pacific in a 46-ft ketch, Tzu Hang. They made it back to Chile both times to effect repairs. The first…

10 Nov

Marine Electronics, November 2021

Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology

A final approach to an anchorage demands precise steering, sometimes requiring you to stand out on the bow to navigate through a difficult passage. While Wi-Fi-based systems connected to GPS or autopilot are available to aid in this task, a stand-alone remote steering system may be simpler to install, easier on the cruising kitty and simpler to control. Unlike most other areas of the marine electronics industry, only a small handful of manufacturers have gone through the trouble of designing a remote steering device that does not interact directly with a chartplotter via Ethernet or wireless connection. Most skippers are…